Yet Again
by bookaholicdreamer
Summary: Peeta and his family migrate to Manila in the Philippines for their bakery at the age of 5. He befriends Katniss, a native who comes from a poor family. Suddenly, he leaves to go back to the states for the lack of business at the age of 12. Though they never forgot each other, they lost hope in finding one another. However, what they don't know is they will meet again. ModernDay AU
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note:_** I know it's bad that I already started any story since I'm still managing my other story, but I wanted this out of my chest. Anyways, there will be times where people will speak in Tagalog, so here's how I'll let you know how they understand:

_Italics in dialog_ example: _"I love you." – _means the person that we're in for their P.O.V does understand what the person is saying in Tagalog

Regular font but with Tagalog… example: "Mahal kita." – means the person doesn't understand the language

If you don't understand, just read.

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I promise for longer ones to come in the future.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything but the plot belongs to Suzanne Collins.

* * *

**_Third Person's P.O.V._**

_2002_

Evangeline Mellark despised her sons. All she ever wanted was a girl to take in her ways and steps so she can gloat to her American friends about her child. In the end, however, she ended up with three blonde boys.

To say she was disappointed was an understatement.

The youngest boy, five-year-old Peeta Mellark, was running around the front of the small bakery that was located in Manila. Being a five year old moving to a foreign, tropical place wasn't a huge deal for the child. He was a happy boy that just wanted to play around and have fun like any typical kid.

His older brothers, Rye and Bran were a few years older than Peeta, but they were old enough to still be greatly affected by the move. They left their friends and schools that they grew accustomed to since they were little, but they tried not to complain or dwell on it for the sake of their mother. They both know that if anything ticked her off, she will not hesitate to blame her sons.

"Run Peeta! Rye's it!" Bran screamed at the little boy. At this, Peeta and his chubby legs ran away from the second eldest brother, but while he was running around, he didn't see the plate of pastries near the edge of the counter. He knocked it down unintentionally, but nonetheless, either being an accident or not, it still angered the mother.

"You clumsy brat!" The woman cried. She ran over to the boy and looked down at him. "I knew you were going to be good for nothing! We came here for a better future for all of us and here you are, creating a bigger mess!" By now, the two older boys were standing in the corner staring at their weeping brother. Without a warning, she brought her hand up and slapped the little boy in the face. "You deserve nothing better but what I gave you." She slapped him one more time for good measure.

Peeta looked at his brothers, but since he didn't want to get them in trouble as well, he bolted out of the door and to the street. He kept running past all the thriving shops in search of shelter. Peeta knew that his dad won't be home until later that night with the supplies for the bakery, so he had a few hours until then before he can go back.

With his lungs burning and his blurred vision, he entered a narrow alley between two small stores. Peeta plopped down and buried his face in his hands, sobbing once again. He was crying so much that he didn't realize that someone came and sat down next to him.

_"Okay ka lang ba?"_ Peeta looked up at the sound of the angelic voice. When he did, his blue eyes widened at the sight before him.

Sitting next to him was a sea siren with chocolate brown hair and olive skin. Her expression is blank, but her eyes show a hint of worry.

_"Hoy! Bingi ka ba?"_ Peeta looks at her with adoration and confusion.

Finally understanding that the boy doesn't understand her, she reaches for his hand and looks at his beautiful, sea blue eyes. "You okay?"

Peeta smiles then nods at the girl. His face reddens when he realizes that he's holding her hand tightly. He starts to pull away, but the girl snatches his hand back again and holds up to her chest. She smiles at him "Katniss. You are…?"

"Peeta," the blonde replies.

Katniss's eyes lie on the red spot on his cheek. Her small smile drops. _"Aye na ko!_ Are you hurt?"

He shakes his head, but still places his empty hand on his cheek, causing him to feel a stinging sensation. Peeta winces. Katniss shakes her head and stands up.

"Come. We fix you up." She pulls Peeta up to his feet and drags him along the streets of Manila. They walk in a slightly fast pace when she stops in front of a small house. Without hesitation, she brings Peeta inside. _"Inay! Tulong mo nga naman ditto!"_ Katniss yells in the house.

A blonde woman emerges from a room carrying a baby in her hands and walks to the two kids. She has blonde hair and blue eyes- much like Peeta.

Rosalinda Everdeen was originally from the United States, just like Peeta and his family, but on a family trip, she met Benjie Everdeen working in the fields of her vacation house. She fell in love with him, not by love at first sight, but by his beautiful voice. Rosalinda, or Rose for short, was walking out when she caught Benjie singing while working near the crops. They dated and Benjie taught Rose the Filipino language. She stayed back when her family went back to America. The rest was history.

She kneels slightly, still holding Primrose in her hands, and inspects Peeta. She turns to Katniss and orders, "Katniss, dear, can you please get me some ice?"

Katniss nodded and helped with Peeta's wound. When the sun started setting, Peeta stated he needed to leave. Katniss offered to walk him home. He agreed.

When the two kids got back, Katniss looked at Peeta. "See you again, friend?" She looked at him with hopeful eyes. She thought he didn't want to speak to her again especially with the social status she stands in, but what she didn't know is that Peeta might as well be hooked on to her.

Peeta beamed a bright smile at Katniss. "See you again."

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think. Sorry for the short chapter again and for the bad grammar.

If anyone has any questions or comments, do not hesitate to review or PM me. Constructive criticism is also welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note:_** If anyone's wondering whether or not I'm Filipino, here's my answer: YES. I am a full Filipino (raised-ish and born) and I can talk in Tagalog fluently, but it's pretty difficult to write it, so bare with me. Anyways, if anyone has any questions about the Language or our custom or if you want me to teach you guys some basic words, then please don't hesitate to ask. Oh, and there's a LOT of line breaks… just warning you all.

_Italics in dialog_ example: _"I love you." – _means the person that we're in for their P.O.V does understand what the person is saying in Tagalog

Regular font but with Tagalog… example: "Mahal kita." – means the person doesn't understand the language

Anything else like "I love you." Is in English… If you didn't already figure that out.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything but the plot. All credit goes to Suzanne Collins and whoever founded the Philippines.

* * *

**_Katniss_**

_September 2005_

_"Good morning, Katniss."_ My mom greeted. _"Your dad is already leaving for work. Go say bye to him before he leaves."_ Without a second thought, I sprint from my small room I share with Prim and make my way to dad, who's about to walk through the small doorway.

_"Bye dad. I'll see you later."_ I kiss him on the cheek and squeeze him in my arms with a happily gives me one back and chuckles.

_"Okay. I'll see you later."_ He disentangles himself from my embrace and starts walking out the door. _"I love you!"_ my dad yells from the front of the house.

"I love you too, daddy." I reply. I don't tear my eyes away from him as he walks away to the old truck that takes the workers who live far from where they're supposed to work in. When he finally drives away with his co-workers, I walk inside our small kitchen.

Our house isn't very big. It has two rooms that sit across each other in a small hallway. We have a shower and a toilet, but we don't have a bathroom to put them in. Our kitchen and dining room sit in one area near the exit of the house. We don't really have a living room, but what we do have is a backyard that spreads through acres and acres.

"Ma? _What are we eating?"_ I ask. I know we won't have those gourmet meals that Peeta and his family has that consist of a variety of meat and others, but I'm still grateful for whatever we have now.

_"Sardines."_

_"We just had that yesterday for breakfast, lunch and dinner."_ I may be grateful, but I can still whine a little. I mean, what else do eight-year-olds do?

_"I know, but we still had a little left over so let's just finish it. And hurry up too."_ I sigh in defeat and sit down across my mom.

Over the years, my family and I have stayed pretty much the same. My mom is looking for a job while my dad is still working for the Snows. Prim is nevertheless, an angel at the age of 4. She's my little confidant- besides Peeta- that always kept my mood high and was always by my side.

_"Ateh, is Peeta coming today?" _My sister asks. I shrug. I haven't seen in couple of days, but I know he will turn up soon.

I hear someone knock on the door. Mom starts walking over to the door. I'm faced away from the door, so I don't see who's here.

"Hello Peeta." My mom greets, rather glumly.

He came maybe a little sooner than I thought.

I stand up abruptly and walk over to the door. What I see stuns me. I don't know if it's the effect his eyes still give me, or the huge bruise on his cheek, but it still renders me speechless. I'm still standing on the same spot staring at me when Mom takes Peeta's hand and drags him inside the house. I finally realize what's going on and walk over to him who now sits on my seat.

Mother observes the welt, carefully moving his head from side to side.

"What happened Peeta?" I ask him, even though I probably already know who did this.

He shrugs.

After my mom finishes applying some concoction on his face, we head in my room with his head on my lap.

As I stroke his blonde hair, I ask him quietly, "What happened?"

Peeta takes a deep breath and explains to me that when he was helping his dad make a new pastry for the bakery, he spilled a batch on the counter, which initially, made his mom mad. So he got a 'lecture' about dropping things and being more careful with a rolling pin from his mom.

When he finishes, tears are streaming down my face.

He brings his hand up and whispers soothing words to me; which I find absurd since he's the one who's hurt. I laugh at this.

Peeta looks up at my laugh and asks, "What's so funny?"

_"You're the one hurt and yet, you're still comforting me."_ He chuckles.

When we met, we grew accustomed to each other's language. I knew a little bit since my mom taught me, but with Peeta's help, I was able to talk in full sentences. We were each other's private tutors that I can only dream of having.

I wipe my tears and ask Peeta, "Do you need me to do something? To help you?"

He starts shaking his head, but then stops, almost as if he's deciding in his head. Peeta looks at me with his crystal-like orbs and says, "Well, there are two things I want to hear." I look at him expectantly, waiting for his request. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I hesitate, but still answer, "Singer."

"Singer? Why a singer?" Peeta asks.

"Don't tell anyone this, okay? But I just love the idea of telling a story by using my voice. Not by talking, but using an instrument that I can carry around. I love how it starts off from deep within you and makes its way up and out. You can sing about anything! Like about love, or even food. It's like I can sing all of my emotions out." I say.

By the end of my rave, Peeta's eyes are wide. "You're smart for an eight year old." He chuckles as I blush.

"What else do you want me to do for you?"

"Sing for me, if it's alright with you." He says.

I nod. "Any songs you want me to sing?" I ask him.

"Whatever you want." He replies.

I contemplate for a moment, silently racking through my head for a song I've got stuck in my head after all those times I've snuck into the karaoke juncture at Lola Sae's street diner. Suddenly, I've got the perfect song; it's a song Daddy sang to me when I couldn't sleep.

I clear my throat.

_"Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise."_

As I finish the last line of the first verse, Peeta's eyes are drooping.

_"Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you."_

My voice becomes a whisper as I sing the last few words.

Peeta's eyes close just before he whispers 'so beautiful' and falls asleep and starts to quietly snore. I don't dare move a muscle, scared of waking him up. I close my eyes as well, feeling the drowsiness of the day bearing down on me- even though it's noon.

* * *

_November 2008_

Spaghetti sauce drips down the corners of my mouth. I use my tongue to lick it off, but to no avail.

Today is a special day for my family. My dad got a new job in the heart of Manila for some company that helps smaller companies expand their businesses throughout the Metropolitan parts of the Philippines and other smaller Asian countries- Whatever that means.

_"Pass the spaghetti, Katniss,"_ my mom orders. I obey and hand her the plate.

Of course, as a family, we use this time to celebrate my father's success by buying chicken and the pasta. We've never really gotten a real meal besides the animals my dad would've killed during his hunts with his buddies.

When I finish my plate, I'm fully stuffed. I excuse myself from the table and go to the same alley Peeta and I first met. It's miles and miles away, but if I get to see my best friend, I'll do it.

Within an hour, I'm already there, sitting on my bottom, patiently waiting for that blonde hair of his. After a while, he finally shows up, but his demeanor has changed over the last 24 hours I've seen him.

_"Hoy! Are you okay?"_ I ask him. He just shrugs and waves it off.

_"I'm fine. Let's just go play that new game you wanted to show me."_

I eye him skeptically, but knowing Peeta, I'll get my answers when he wants to open up.

I teach him a game that consists of slippers or shoes and you have to hit a can with them to knock of them. Since there's only the two of us, I just compromised it. Whoever hits the can the sits about 20 feet away from us, wins.

After a couple of rounds later, Peeta finally breaks, turns to me, and says, _"We're moving."_

And just like that, the whole universe has come toppling over me like God just poured it into my small, fragile heart.

I start to fall over, so instinctively, I grab the one thing that's closest to me, which is Peeta.

His hands are at my waist as I hold on to the front of his shirt. We stay like that as I stare at his eyes. I wish I can just dive into his eyes and let the world wash away from my head.

When we finally come back to our senses, I push myself off of him.

His words sink back to me and I'm suddenly blinded by sadness and rage, but my anger is much more overwhelming than the other.

"What?" I screech. "Whe- why? Where? What? When, Peeta, when?" I ask.

Peeta looks down. "A week before my birthday."

That's in January and since it's November, we only have about two months left.

I hold back the tears before I ask, "Where?"

He just looks miserable. "The states." When he says this, I can't bare to look at him.

Tears are already falling down my face when I ask, "why?"

"Katniss, I'm sorry, but business isn't doing very well here. My parents have decided that we should move back for a new start, and I had no part in it. I swear, Katniss. You have to believe me." Peeta pleads. I huff out in frustration.

"Okay. Let's just… make the most of it, okay?" He nods.

And that's what we do.

For the next two months, we're practically inseparable. We joke around and play like we're never going to see each other ever again. Peeta and I dance around the real problem just to save ourselves from an emotional wreck- which will probably occur when he leaves.

I just hope I don't do anything stupid.

* * *

_January 2009_

Today's the day my social life ends.

Peeta is probably the only person who I ever talk to outside of my family. Now that he's leaving, it's like a part of me is being torn apart from me and is placed in Peeta's expensive traveling bag.

I start off my day pretty normal, but when it's time to leave to the airport, my mood immediately turns sour. I scold my little sister for walking off too far. I ignore my mom when she asks me what I want for dinner. I even reject my dad when he asks me if I wanted a piggy back ride.

When we arrive at the airport using the public jeep as transportation, I start to search for Peeta carefully. I finally see him near the front and I swiftly make my way over to him and his family.

"Peeta!" I yell. He whips around at the sound of my voice and we start running each other like those cheesy lovey-dovey movies. When I'm near him, I practically jump on him.

Big, fat, salty tears drip down out of my silver eyes as I cling on to him like my life depended on it. Like everyday, that's what I feel.

I can see my parents say their farewells to Peeta's family- even his mom. I don't ever let go, but I know I'm going to have to.

I whisper in his ear, "I'm going to miss you, best friend."

I can feel him smile in my hair, "I'll miss you too."

We pull out of the embrace, but keep our hands on each other. I look at him right in the eye and say, "Don't you ever forget me, got it?"

Peeta chuckles. "Like I'll even try."

"Come on, Peeta. We have to go now." His father calls. I look at him and mouth my goodbye to him.

"Okay, dad." Peeta replies.

Without hesitation, I close the small space that separates us and press my lips to his.

The kiss is awkward, sloppy and obviously, weird, even so, I still feel that stirring in my stomach that feels like I'm about to throw up. I know I'm not, but I use it as an excuse to pull away from the kiss.

Peeta's eyes are as large as the sun.

I stand there, blood pumping to my face. I'm about to say something to ease the awkwardness away, but he's already being dragged away by his own mother. When he finally comes back to his senses, he yells, "I'll see you soon!"

I yell back, _"I'll see you soon!"_

When he's out of sight, I turn around slowly to face my family.

My sister and mom are smiling at me while Dad stands there, pale as snow.

When I said earlier that I hope I don't do anything stupid, I guess I'm a little too late now.

My family starts walking towards me.

And here comes the torture.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** The response I got from the first chapter was amazing! Thank you, guys for reading it. Thank you, **XCadenceEverdeenX**, **We don't exist **(Guest), **pinkfides09**, **pumpkinking5**, (**Guest**), and **THGFan3413** for reviewing! You guys are awesome!

If anyone has any questions or comments, do not hesitate to review or PM me. Constructive criticism is also welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note:_** YES, I AM FILIPINO. The last chapter, I did state that I am, but people still ask. Also, Peeta left at the age of 12. So… yeah…

_Italics in dialog_ example: _"I love you." – _means the person that we're in for their P.O.V does understand what the person is saying in Tagalog

Regular font but with Tagalog… example: "Mahal kita." – means the person doesn't understand the language

Anything else like "I love you." Is in English… If you didn't already figure that out.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the plot. The rest goes to Suzanne Collins.

* * *

**_Peeta_**

_Present_

_California_

I press my lips against her pink, glossy ones and wait for the spark to come. It doesn't.

She straddles me and starts to run her fingers up and down my chest. I feel like I'm about to puke right now. Before I do, I'm already retreating away from her kiss. My breathing is labored, but I try not to think much about it.

"Glimmer," I gasp out. "I think we should stop before we do something we might regret."

Her beady, green eyes bore into mine with accusation and anger. "Why, Peety? I don't understand! We've been together for like, four months! Why not?" She whines.

"Glim, I just don't want you to regret it later on." I say.

Before she can respond, my dad yelling from downstairs, cuts her off. "Peeta, can you come down here for a moment?"

I look back at my girlfriend and beg her to get off of me with my pleading eyes. She scoffs and rolls her eyes, but nonetheless, gets off.

I dash my way out of my room and down the long flight of stairs. My parents are sitting on the leather love-seat while my brothers sit in the individual cushioned chairs, staring at me. I look at my parents expectantly. "What's up?" I ask.

My dad's assistance, who I didn't notice there, speaks up from behind me. "Well, look who finally decided to show up! Done with your make-out fiasco with your girlfriend, hm, Mr. Mellark?" Effie asks. I shrug. "Show some manners." She scoffs.

Effie Trinket, in my eyes, is the most bubbly, out-going, most lady-like woman known to man. I don't understand why my dad chose her as an assistant, but since she was my mom's friend long before she got the job, I'm pretty sure the decision was pretty biased.

Before I can apologize, Dad breaks in and commands, "Sit down, son."

I obey and plant myself on the couch. I look at my parents. "What's going on?" I ask.

Dad clears his throat while my mom rolls her eyes at me. Why? I really don't know.

"Son, we're going back to the Philippines."

Within that one sentence, the life I left so long ago comes swarming back in my head like a hive full of deranged wasps. Silver eyes, long brown hair tied in a braid, an angel singing, laughs we shared- it all comes back to me. I use every bit of my strength I have not to fall over and face plant myself on the floor.

A hand slaps me on the back, which causes me to flinch. I look up and see Rye smirking down at me. As much as I want to punch him for slapping me, I mutter my thanks to him for pulling me out of my reverie.

My dad, brothers, and Effie look at me worriedly. I give them all a reassuring smile and finally squeak out a question. "When?"

My dad huffs out, smiles back at me and says, "In about a week." I nod and look down; embarrassed at the reaction I gave them.

As they talk to each other about the upcoming move, my thoughts go back to Katniss. After four years, I haven't forgotten the girl that entranced me with her angel-like voice. Sometimes, I would wonder what we would be if I didn't move. _Would we have stayed friends? _Then another question pops up in my mind. _Do I want to be more than friends?_

I mentally scold myself for thinking such thoughts. I have Glimmer, who's more than willing to show me her affections towards me. Another thought crosses my mind, but this time, I let my confusion show.

"What about my friends and Glimmer?" I know it's probably a stupid question, but I still want to know.

Rye laughs at me. "Why? Scared someone _else_ will bang her and leave you 'cause you suck in bed?" My red face must have stopped him from laughing when suddenly, realization dawned on him. "Peet! You haven't gotten laid yet?" This time, he doesn't stop laughing.

He clutches on to the nearest object he can get his hands on to support himself as he doubles over in laughter- which is a lamp. As he bares all his weight on the lamp, I smirk. Rye hasn't stopped laughing, but what does make him halt was the cracking sound of a custom and hand made porcelain. He tries to stand up straight, but it's too late. The lamp breaks into pieces and his hands land right on them.

Rye cries out and slumps down to the floor, clutching his hands. Twill, our maid, rushes to my brother and leads him out of the living room to fix him up.

I clear my throat and look back at my dad. I ask, "So... back to my question." Mom scoffs at my nonchalant behavior.

"Well," Effie says, "They will be staying with you until the end of the Filipino summer, which starts in March and ends in May. Glimmer may have to come later. So before you start college-"

I cut her off, "College? I'm 16!"

"Yes, but in the Philippines, you skip seventh and eighth grade. However, you did manage to be in the top classes here, so you are able to attend U.S.T." She informs me. "Anyways. Finnick, Madge, and Glimmer will join us two or three days after we all move there. The day after we get there, we're attending a party for the greater good of the company. I'll tell you the details about the party later." She pauses. "Any more questions?" I shake my head. "Good. Now go pack."

* * *

_Manila, Philippines_

My family's personal stylist, Portia, straightens out my jacket after I shrug it on. Today, my family and Dad's business partners are all headed to a secluded party for the night.

I stand in my tailored suit, wiping my sweaty palms against my pants. Even though I should be preparing for the party, my mind keeps wandering off to the little girl with the braid. Thoughts of how she may look like now anger me since I have Glimmer. I really shouldn't think of another girl besides my girlfriend, but I wasn't thinking of Katniss as anything else besides a friend, _right_?

"Peeta, let's go." Dad calls. I exit my new-old room and walk down the stairs to meet my family in front of the door. Obviously, the party is for business, or else mother wouldn't have used her most expensive set of jewels.

Two white SUVs stand outside the door with two men, holding the door open for us. We climb inside, me sitting next to Rye. I look out the window, watching as we enter the highway. Kids in ratty clothes, holding flowers connected by a string, shift my mood to a gloomy one.

I remember that Manila used to have some homeless kids, but now that I'm older, I can truly understand what's happening around me. I shake my head and get rid of the thoughts.

A few minutes later, we enter a large gate with a large _E _twisted around with he bars of the gate.I look down at my L.U.C. MK II watch. It's about 7:30- we're officially fashionably late. Cars are lined up all over the long and circular drive way.

Our car stops in front of a house. Actually, calling this place a house is a huge understatement. The _castle_ stands before us. It's not very tall- probably three or four stories high-, but it looks like it can hold a whole zoo. The end of the house is not even visible from this angle. However, what really caught my eye are the intricate patterns that are on the columns in front of the marble steps that lead to the double doors. The rest of my family gawks at the fountain that sits in the middle of the front lawn.

A man without one of his arm opens the large, brown doors for us. Once we enter, I instantly feel out of place. We enter what looks like a formal living room. Everyone here looks so elegant and high maintenance. I watch as women in Gucci and Louis Vuitton apparel, holding glasses of what looks like champagne.

Mom puts on a fake smile and starts leading us to the sea of people. My dad gives me an assuring smile.

As we pass by people, I hear their whispers.

_"Who are they?_"

"_I don't know. Are they American?_"

"_Well, obviously."_

I laugh silently. _I've still got it. _I can't believe I didn't forget. Tagalog was my second language I ever learned before taking French and German.

I start making my way across the room to look for something to drink and wash away my nerves when my dad grabs my arm gently and starts taking the rest of us to a man who has his back facing us.

"Keep calm," my dad whispers. My brothers and I nod.

Dad taps the man on the shoulder. The man excuses himself from the group of people and turns around.

The man looks at us with his piercing, gray eyes. When he smiles at us, I can see the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes.

"Chris and Eva Mellark?" The man asks my parents. His accent is deep and very familiar. My dad smiles at him and nods.

"Yeah, Benjie. It's us. It's been a while."

Benjie laughs whole heartedly and moves over to give my dad a hug and to shake my mother's hand. "It has. Wow. Are these your boys?" He looks at me with a large grin.

I step closer to him. "Peeta." He laughs again.

"Oh, I remember you, Peeta. You were so nice to my kids." _What?_

In the corner of my eye, my mom scowls at me.

Dad asks, "Speaking of which, how are your kids?"

"They're good! Much older now. Can't believe my baby is going to college soon." As they continue to talk, I skeptically look over the man before me.

His olive skin and his other physical features look so familiar to me. Agitation courses throughout me. Why can't I pinpoint where I've seen him before?

I tune back in to their conversation.

"So where's your wife, Ben?" mom asks. That's probably the first thing she's said throughout the whole time we've been here.

"Oh, she's getting my kids ready." He responds.

She nods. "What are you all doing here?" She snaps. My dad scolds her with his eyes. She just shrugs.

"Actually, this is my house." This sentence affects my parents greatly- as well as my brothers. Their mouths fall open and gape at the man. He chuckles. "As you know, when you all left, I got a great opportunity in a large company. Over the years, I started getting promotions and now, I'm actually the co-CEO. It sounds unbelievable, but this house is proof that we're actually living a better life. I even invited you guys here." _Who is he?_

Our silence causes him to smirk at us.

As my dad starts to open his mouth to respond, the large doors on top of the large staircase opens, Benjie quickly cuts him off and says, "I want you guys to re-meet some people." He runs up the stairs and waits near the door and out comes a blonde woman holding a similarly looking girl's hand. They quickly hug each other and make their way down the stairs.

The woman wears a strapless silky, silver dress that falls to her feet and leaves a small train behind her. Her make up is barely there, but nonetheless, she looks beautiful.

Her daughter wears a glittering, blue dress that ends at the floor as well.

"Rose! How are you?" My dad asks with red cheeks. I mentally remind myself to ask him what that was about.

"I'm doing great, Chris." She smiles warmly. "You remember Prim, right?" I widen my eyes. _Prim?_ The little girl looks up at me with narrowed eyes. When she hears her name, she looks back at my dad and smiles brightly, yet shyly, and waves.

"Of course I do!" My dad smiles back at her.

"Where's your other one?" My mom spits out. _Seriously? In their house?_

Rose's smile drops slightly, but her eyes cast over to mine and she smirks. "She's on her way." Her eyes move again, but to a point behind mine. She smiles wildly at me. "Here she is!"

My feet are frozen in place.

Things feel like they're moving slowly. I can feel my heart beating erratically. A vision comes around- walking past me- and stands next to Benjie. She's not looking at any of us but at the other man standing next to her that looks like a splitting image of her father. The girl slowly turns her head and I feel my heart drop to my feet.

She stands there, with her golden dress. Her hair is up in an intricate braid with a sparkly head piece that weaves throughout it. To say she was pretty was calling a deadly massacre a play date.

"Katniss?" I squeak out.

She smirks at me. "Hi there." We stare at each other. Gray vs. blue. Smirk vs. clenched jaw. Someone coughs and pulls us out of our stare off.

As if noticing the rest of my family for the first time, she stands in front of my dad and goes to shake his hand, but my dad has other ideas. He pulls her in and gives her what looks like a bone-crushing hug. She chuckles.

When Katniss pulls back, she shakes my mom's hand, but her eyes flare up when she looks at her. She then moves to my brothers.

My brothers gawk at the slit that show off her long leg. When she comes to them, they look up and down at her, obviously enjoying the view. I would be lying if I said I didn't. As they pull away from her, she gives them both another smirk.

As she makes her way to me, she looks up at me through her lashes. The other man that stood next to glares at me through the corner of my eye. "Peeta."

I clear my throat. "Hi."

"It certainly has been a while." I nod, finding it hard to form words. She smiles and steps closer and gives me a hug. It takes me a second to wrap my arms around the middle of her back when I realize that I'm touching her bare back. I blush ferociously.

She pulls away too quickly and turns away from me to walk back to her family.

Her cheeks are red as well, but her eyes sparkle as she looks at me. The man nudges her, which causes her to look at him and roll her eyes.

She coughs. "Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, Rye, Bran… Peeta," she drags out my name. She points at the man. "This is Gale Hawthorne. He's my…" _Please don't say boyfriend! Please don't say boyfriend!_ "…best friend." I let out a breath of relief, but then I freeze. _What the…? Why did I just-._

My mind-scolding was cut short when Gale sticks his hand out at me. "Hey man."

I look at his hand and shake it. "Hey." He continues to shake my family's hand one-by-one. He goes back to the spot next to Katniss.

Before an awkward silence fills in, Mr. Everdeen asks, "Katniss, why don't you go and introduce your friends to Peeta and his brothers? I'm sure they may need some friends after coming back here for so long."

Katniss smiles at me and takes my hand.

An indescribable sensation flows throughout my blood. I blush once more and look down at our intertwined fingers. She's not looking at me, but I know she's blushing as well. _Did she feel it too?_

As I come back to my other senses, I look up and see we're headed to a group of people. One girl with her pixie-cut hair is talking animatedly to a dark-skinned man who looks like he can be the next Dwayne Johnson. The rest of the group just stands there, looking at girl talking. There's a girl with green eyes and brown wavy hair, and another girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. When we approach the group, the girl stops her sentence and looks at Katniss.

"_Who is he?"_

Katniss answers. "_A friend."_

The pixie haired, girl looks at me and then gives me a grin. _"Is he gay? He looks too good to be straight."_

This is going to be interesting.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** Sorry for the long wait. I was out of town… so…

Thank you guys for reviewing, following and favoriting my stories! I'll make a shout for the next chapter. I'm in a time limit here… sorry. And I'm sorry for the grammatical mistakes.

Oh! And Katniss's dress the one that Jennifer Lawrence wore at the L.A. Premiere of the Hunger Games movie. It's Prabal Gurung.

If anyone has any questions or comments, do not hesitate to review or PM me. Constructive criticism is also welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note:_** I am so sorry! SO SO SORRY! I've been really busy about my kick boxing classes… even though it's not really an excuse, I've still gotta try. (:

I AM FILIPINO!

I'll update tomorrow… or Wednesday… but I WILL UPDATE THIS WEEK. I'M SORRY.

I'm also very sorry for the shortness of this chapter…

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All rights go to Suzanne Collins. HOWEVER. The song belongs to Journey… it's called "Open Arms"

* * *

**_Katniss_**

_Present_

_Manila, Philippines_

My eyes widen. "Jo!" I scold her. "_You do know that he understands you, right?"_ In response, she shrugs and throws a smirk at me. I throw back at her my infamous scowl, which she gladly ignores. Johanna says to me as she looks at Peeta.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your… 'friend'?"

I sigh. "Peeta, this is Johanna, Annie, Thresh and Madge. Guys, meet Peeta." Peeta starts shaking their hands. When he gets to Jo, she pulls him in and wraps her skinny arms around him. That simple gesture causes me to cringe.

"Nice to meet you," she says.

Peeta smiles warmly at her. "Thanks. You guys, too."

She smirks.

They start an easy conversation with each other. As they do so, I let my thoughts wonder off as to why I was affected by the way Jo hugged Peeta. When she encased him in a hug, my body felt like it was exploding. Of course, I wouldn't want Jo, of all people, to know that my actions were greatly influenced by a _boy_. Come to think of it, as I look at the blonde, I can't really consider him as the twelve-year-old boy that barely started puberty. The tiny pudge around his stomach is long gone, which is now replaced by a flatter one, which makes me wonder what _else_ could be hidden beneath his suit.

As the thought crosses my mind, my eyes widen and I curse out loud for thinking such things. Everyone snaps their head towards me, as if they're finally aware that I've been standing there all along.

Peeta takes a step forward. "You okay?"

I nod. "Yeah. I was just in my own wo-"

I'm wonderfully cut off by the lovely Johanna Mason. "Yeah. Mhm. Sure. As much as I love you, girl, you're seriously taking up bread boy and my time, here." _Yeah, and as much as I love you, it doesn't make you any more or less than a bitch._ I think to myself. "Now go run off and find Gale, or something."

Gale.

I completely forgot about him! I thought he was trailing behind Peeta and me. Apparently, he's wasn't.

I quickly skim over the crowd around us, easily spotting the 6 foot beast, standing near his parents. His eyes are already trained on me, as if he hasn't taken his eyes off of me at all. I wave, but I don't take a step closer to him.

Madge, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, stares at Peeta intently. I don't know why, but the way she stares at him and the way Jo stares at him are completely different. Nonetheless, I still feel myself get red as she laughs and reaches out to touch Peeta's arm. Annie swats her hand, causing Madge halt her movement. The brunette whispers something to Madge, which causes both of them to stare at me. They burst into a chorus of giggles. Thresh looks at me curiously, raising one eyebrow, as if asking '_What happened?'_ I shrug and look down at the floor, feeling my inner confidence that I had on earlier, dissipate.

When my dad said earlier that some of our old friends were coming back, I felt like I already knew who it was. For four years, I knew I would see Peeta again, but when the time came, I knew I wouldn't be prepared. I didn't want to come off as some clingy best friend that thought about him throughout the four years of our separation- even though it's slightly true.

Being the amazing friend and stylist there could ever be on the face of this earth, Cinna told me that I should act like myself and that if I needed anything, all I needed to do was look for him through the sea of people. When I finished talking to him, I made my way out my room and to the party downstairs. I immediately spotted him and his family talking to mine. As I made my way over to them, I could feel myself shake. Being the overprotective best friend, Gale offered to come with me to meet with them. I huffed out, put on a brave smirk and a mask of confidence.

Now that the time seems like it's slowly ticking away, I feel like the mask is being peeled off.

I take a chance to look up, and when I do, I see Johanna with her chest puffed out, talking to Peeta, but her eyes are on me.

My eyes narrow at her, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Ever since Jo and I met, she's been reminding me constantly that I 'need' to have a boyfriend. Or that I 'need' to give up my v-card. As much as I appreciate her attempts to push girls and boys toward my direction, none of them really caught my full attention. What really caught my attention were the stocky build that Peeta has and his deliciously large hands that can clamp my small ones in his.

I shiver.

Suddenly feeling like I want to move, I take the last few steps and grab Peeta's arm. I turn him around.

His reaction to my movements would've been comical, but I have a mission, and that's to get Peeta on the dance floor.

I grab his neck and move it next to my face. I whisper in his ear, "I'm not much of a dancer, but do you want to get out there?" I nod my head over to the small group of people dancing on the open space. I pull back.

As I look at him, his eyes seem to have darkened within that last instant. He nods and pulls me to the dance floor. I look back at my friends with smirks on their faces. Surprisingly enough, so does Johanna.

Once we step foot on the dance floor, the song changes from the upbeat top-forties to a song that was probably made for the 40 year-olds in the room. Nevertheless, I still love this song.

Peeta drags me to the middle of the floor and places his hands on my hips. His fingers are on my bare back as his palms dig into the side petite form. I try to hide my oncoming blush by placing my hands around his neck and putting my head on his shoulder.

_"Lying beside you, here in the dark_

_Feeling your heart beat with mine"_

As my fingertips come in contact with Peeta's pulse on his neck, almost as if on cue, I can feel his heart jumping and beating erratically. I smile softly.

"I've missed you, Katniss." He whispers against my hair.

"I've missed you, too."

_"Softly you whisper_

_You're so sincere_

_How could our love be so blind?"_

"You're beautiful."

I look up. "I usually hear that I '_look_ pretty'. Not particularly _beautiful_."

Peeta's blue, crystal-like orbs that hasn't changed at all over the years, stare back at me with strong intensity. In a low voice, he answers, "They must be blind."

_"We sailed on, together_

_And drifted apart_

_And here you are by my side"_

I croak out the next few sentences. "No one's really said to me before. You're girlfriend is very lucky to have you." As much as I don't want to admit it, I want him to have a girlfriend. Just so I can stop chasing after someone like him before it even starts.

Without missing a beat, he states. "I don't have one."

_So now I come to you,_

_With open arms_

_Nothing to hide, believe what I say_

_So here I am, with open arms_

_Hoping you'll see_

_What your love means to me_

_Open arms"_

I stare at him with disbelief. "What? That's not possible. Being someone like you, I'd expect you'd have a…" I trail off. His eyes are distant, but playful.

"Someone like me?"

I chuckle nervously. "Well, yeah. I mean, you won over Jo, so that has to count for something."

_"Living without you,_

_Living alone_

_This empty house seems so cold"_

He beams me a bright smile that can put all the suns and stars to shame.

I clear my throat. "So, how was America?"

"Different. So many new technologies. There are even toilets to clean your bottom for you." I laugh.

"Well, I hope you get used to it over here."

His smile grows. "I plan on it."

For the rest of the song, we sway in time with the song with a little bit of talking every now and then.

When the song ends, we don't dare pull away from each other. Instead, we stay in each other's arms.

However, not all good things last.

A moment later, Delly Cartwright struts past us, but not without sending a wink and wave towards Peeta.

My easy-going smile turns into a scowl.

She smirks at me and turns around to join her brother, Cato.

I look back up at Peeta. His face is stoic, but with a hint of confusion.

"Who was that?" He asks.

"Delly. She's the daughter of my dad's old boss. You remember Snow, right?" He nods. I continue. "Well, ever since my dad quit his old job and got a better opportunity, our family sort of got in a rivalry. Another reason was that Snow's ex-wife, Debra Cartwright, works for our company now. We don't really know what to make out of it, but Delly and Cato are just like their dad- very persistent. If they want something," I look him over, "or _someone,_ they will get it."

Peeta nods solemnly, and then swallows. "So, are you and Gale… an item?"

I choke on my spit and start coughing hysterically. When I start to calm down, I start laughing. Peeta's hurt eyes are the only things that pull me out of my inane state of mind. "Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. It just seems nearly impossible to see Gale and me, well, together." He nods, but still seems unconvinced. "The only item we will ever be is best friends, and I don't plan on changing that."

Peeta, once again, nods.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** Thank you **melverdeenforever219, THGFan3413, pumpkinking5, Basically- Awesome, (Guest), mockingjay2012 (Guest), **and** XCadenceEverdeenX** for reviewing! I really appreciate it!

If anyone has any questions or comments, do not hesitate to review or PM me. Constructive criticism is also welcome.


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